Framed canvas and method of preparing the same for art work



Jl'me 16, 1964 M. SPERTUS 3,137,088

FRAMED CANVAS AND METHOD OF PREPARING THE SAME FOR ART WORK Filed Oct. 8, 1962 INVENTOR. MAURICE SPERTus United States Patent Oil Free 3,137,088 Patented June 16, 1964 3,137,088 FRAMED CANVAS AND METHOD OF PREPARING Tim SAME FOR ART WORK Maurice Spertus, Highland Park, 11]., assignor to Metalcraft Corp., Chicago, Ill. Filed Oct. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 228,880 4 Claims. (Cl. 45-130) can be owned by very few individuals. Accordingly, the masses of art lovers are able to own the masterworks only in the form of mechanical, reproductions thereof, such as prints and the like. It is generally recognized, however, that even the finest of mechanical repreductions cannot give the satisfaction, or take the place of, an original painting. Moreover, the pleasure derived from ownership of an original painting, despite the fact that the same may comprise the work of an unknown artist cannot usually be satisfied by a mere reproduction. There has thus been a growing demand in recent years for original paintings and the like.

In order to satisfy the aforementioned demand for original paintings, it is of course necessary to make such paintings commercially available at a price reasonable enough for most people to afiford. Aside from the cost of the artists talents, one of the most important considerations in any scheme of mass produced original paintings is the time and expense required to prepare and mount the canvas before painting; In this regard, it is well known that the canvas must be properly stretched and mounted on some type of supporting framework, usually rectangular in shape,

'Heretofore, the preparation and mounting of the canvas was accomplished by the artist in the following manner. Four cooperating wooden strip members were connected together with mitered corner joints to aiford a rectangular open framework. These wooden members invariably were formed with. pairs of aligned slots adjacent the inner corners thereof. A piece of canvas was cut roughly to the size of the framework and the marginal edges thereof were nailed to the side edges of the frame members. It was then necessary to delicately tap wooden wedge blocks into the slots at all four corners in order to obtain the desired degree of tautness in the canvas. As many as eight such wedges were ordinarily required; The described operation was not only time consuming, but also required considerable skill and judgment of the artist in tapping the wedge blocks into the corner slots to obtain the proper and uniform tautness over the entire surface of the canvas.

It is, therefore, an important object of this invention to provide a framed canvas and a method of preparing canvases for art work which overcomes all of the above described disadvantages.

Another object of the invention is to aiford a framed canvas and a method of preparing canvases for art work which may be utilized on a mass production basis.

A further object is to provide a framed canvas and a method of the character described in which the canvas and frame members are readily pre-cut to exact configuration and dimension. 1

Still another object is to afford a framed canvas and a method of the character described in which the aforementioned wedge. blocks are eliminated entirely. A related object is to afford such a method in which the frame members need not be formed with slots as heretofore required.

Yet another object is to provide a framed canvas and a method of the character described in which proper and uniform tension of the canvas is achieved in every instance with virtually no possibility of variance.

Yet a further object is to afford a framed canvas and a method of the character described which does not require skilled labor for the practice thereof.

Still another object is to provide a method of the character described which may be most quickly and inexpensively practised and yet results in a painting canvas which is properly and durably prepared and mounted.

. For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment thereof, from an-inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawmgs:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a mounted canvas for art work prepared in accordance with the method of the invention;

FIG. 2 is anexploded plan view of the canvas blank and frame members as viewed from the rear thereof;

FIG. 3 is a rear plan view showing the relative positioning of the frame members after connection to the canvas blank;

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing an intermediate stage in the practice of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a similar view showing a later intermediate stage in the practice of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a similar view showing the completed mounted canvas;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the area circumscribed by the circle in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is a similar view of the area circumscribed by the circle in FIG. 6; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the plane of line 99 in FIG. 4 and viewed in the direction indicated. a

Referring now to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the reference numeral 10 indicates generally a mounted canvas for art work. The mounted canvas 10 comprises a canvas blank 12 having the customary rectangular front face panel 14 which is properly tensioned and ready for the art work to be applied thereon.

' To appreciate how the above properlymounted canvas 10 is achieved, attention is directed to FIG. 2 of the drawlines 16. A pair of identical marginal flaps or end panels 22, 22 is similarly integrally formed with said panel and defined by the end fold lines 18. It will be noted that each of the side panels and end panels comprises an elongated hexagon which, as subsequently will be described, may be folded along a fold line 23 to afford a narrow rectangular section 24 and an isosceles trapezoidal section 26 (see FIGS. 2, 7 and 9).

Associated with the canvas blank 12 is a pair of side frame members 28, 2S and a pair of end frame members 30, 34). These frame members may comprise strips or slats of complementary configuration with the outer portion of the side or end panels .with which they are cooperatively associated. It will thus be noted that each of the side frame members 28 comprises an isosceles trapezoid having a pair of angled or inclined edges 32, 32 and a base edge 34 which may be identical in length to the side fold lines 16. Similarly, each of the end frame members 30 comprises an isosceles trapezoid having a pair of angled edges 36 and a base edge 38 which is identical in length to the end fold edges 18. The frame members may be of any desired uniform thickness, but it is important to note that the combined width of the trapezoidal surface and thickness of the base edges must be equal to, or greater than, the width of the side or end panel associated therewith. The reasons for the described comparative widths of the frame members and panels will become apparent as the description proceeds. To begin operational assembly of the mounted canvas It), the frame members 28 and 30 are positioned in superimposed relationship on the sections 26 of the side or end panels with which the same are associated, as indicated in FIG. 3. The frame members are then connected. to the panel sections by any suitable means such as nails, tacks, or the like. In the embodiment illustrated, I prefer to employ staples 40 positioned in spaced relationship as shown. Such staples may be quickly and efiiciently driven through the panels and frame members by well known automatic means. In the latter regard, the frame members may comprise any suitably rigid material such as wood, cardboard, pressed board, and the like, into which the fasteners may be readily driven.

Two opposing frame members, such as the side frame members 28, are now rotated inwardly through an arc of 180, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 4. It will, of course, be appreciated that the described rotation of the side members 28 causes the associated canvas side panels 20 to be wrapped therearound, as shown in FIG. 9. It will likewise be appreciated that as a result of the thickness of the canvas and the fact that no two objects can physically occupy the same space at the same time, the

length of canvas material required to envelop the afie'cted portions of the frame member is necessarily greater than the original width of the side panel 20 in its limp unwrapped condition. Thus, the panel 20 cannot cover the frame member without some distortion or stretching of the canvas material.

One of the end frame members 30 is now similarly rotated through an angle of 180 so that the cooperating angles edges 32 and. 35 abut each other and form two mitered corner joints, such as 42, as shown in FIG. of the drawings. The frame members are then permanently joined by means of a plurality of straddling staple fasteners 44. The final end frame member 30 is now rotated inwardly and its angle edges 36 forced into abuts ment and connected to'the associated angle edges of the side frame members 28 to form other mitered corner joints 42 (see FIG. 6). The mounted canvas of FIGS. 1 and 6 has now been completed.

It is most important to appreciate the forces which are set up in the mounted canvas 10 when the last described rotation of the final end frame member takes place. As already indicated above, when the canvas blank side and end panels are wrapped around their associated frame members, the original width thereof is inadequate to cover said frame members. This shortage of material, of course, occurs in all four side and end panels. So long as the framework remains partially open, as in FIGS. 4 and 5, the effects of the described wrapping are not appreciable or apparent. However, when the framework is closed with the final frame member, the cumulative wrappings cause the ends of the frame members to abut each other in tight engagement'and the frame members to bear against each other with relatively great force through said mitered corners 42. Since the base edges 34 and 38 of the frame members rigidly fix the dimensions of the front face panel 14, the interaction of parts causes the canvas of said face panel to be uniformly stretched taut over the entire surface area thereof.

From the foregoing description and drawings, it should be apparent that I have provided a framed canvas and a novel method for preparing canvas for art work. The method employs its own self tensioning means so that all auxiliary tensioning means such as the previously required slotted frame members and wedge blocks have been eliminated. In addition, the method may be economically practiced by unskilled labor employing mass production techniques and yet results in a most sturdy :andproperly stretched and mounted canvas.

It should, of course, be appreciated that while the blank 12 has been referred to throughout as comprising the fabric canvas, the same may likewise comprise any other suitable material having similar characteristics of stretchability. It should likewise be appreciated that the configuration of the canvas blank side and end panels need not be hexagonal as described, it being necessary only that the relative dimensions of the panels and frame members be maintained. Thus, for example, it will be apparent that the sections 26 of the side and end panels may be reduced in width without affecting the efficacy of the method. Similarly, the invention obviously may be utilized to make mounted canvases of configurations other than the rectangular one illustrated.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while a preferred embodiment thereof has been shown and described for illustrative purposes, substitutions or variations may be made, both in the. method and product, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the specification and defined in the appended claims.

- What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: i

v 1. A stretched surface for art work comprising a stretchable material blank having a rectangular front panel, an integral flap projecting from each of the marginal edges of said panel, each of said fiaps having a narrow rectangular section coextensive with its associated flap marginal edge and an isosceles trapezoidal section, a rigid slat-like frame member of complementary isosceles trapezoidal configuration associated with each of said flaps, fastening means connecting said frame members to said isosceles trapezoidal sections, each of said flaps being wrapped around at least two of the sides of its associated frame member, all of said frame members bearing against each other at the ends thereof to afford four mitered corner joints, said front panel being defined by the base edges of said frame members, and fastening means rigidly retaining said frame members together in operative bearing relationship.

2. The stretched surface for art work of claim 1 in which said first-mentioned fastening means comprises a plurality of staple elements driven through said flaps and into said frame members.

3. The stretched surface for art work of claim 1 in which said lastmentioned fastening means comprises a plurality of staple elements, each of said staple elements being driven into a pair of adjacent frame members and straddling the mitered joint therebetween.

4. The stretched surface for art work of claim 1 in which the combined length of the thickness and a trapezoidal face of each of said frame members is at least 5 as large as the width of its associated flap, whereby the width of said flap is insufficient to cover said thickness and trapezoidal face.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Fletcher Apr. 13, Tait Oct. 16, Donaldson Feb. 9, Shauer June 20, Prost Sept. 30, 

1. A STRETCHED SURFACE FOR ART WORK COMPRISING A STRETCHABLE MATERIAL BLANK HAVING A RECTANGULAR FRONT PANEL, AN INTEGRAL FLAP PROJECTING FROM EACH OF THE MARGINAL EDGES OF SAID PANEL, EACH OF SAID FLAPS HAVING A NARROW RECTANGULAR SECTION COEXTENSIVE WITH ITS ASSOCIATED FLAP MARGINAL EDGE AND AN ISOSCELES TRAPEZOIDAL SECTION, A RIGID SLAT-LIKE FRAME MEMBER OF COMPLEMENTARY ISOSCELES TRAPEZOIDAL CONFIGURATION ASSOCIATED WITH EACH OF SAID FLAPS, FASTENING MEANS CONNECTING SAID FRAME MEMBERS TO SAID ISOSCELES TRAPEZOIDAL SECTIONS, EACH OF SAID FLAPS BEING WRAPPED AROUND AT LEAST TWO OF THE SIDES OF ITS ASSOCIATED FRAME MEMBER, ALL OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS BEARING AGAINST EACH OTHER AT THE ENDS THEREOF TO AFFORD FOUR MITERED CORNER JOINTS, SAID FRONT PANEL BEING DEFINED BY THE BASE EDGES OF SAID FRAME MEMBERS TOGETHER IN OPERATIVE BEARING RELATIONSHIP. 